AFOSI supports joint and bilateral operations at Valiant Shield 2026

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Air Force Office of Special Investigations teams provided counterintelligence and force-protection support across the Pacific during Valiant Shield 2026, a large-scale, biennial field training exercise held June 22–July 1 that brought together roughly 14,000 U.S. joint force service members, more than 200 aircraft and about 20 surface ships, with allied and partner participation from Japan, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

AFOSI personnel operated in Hawaii, Japan, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to help protect personnel, information, operations and resources as allied and partner forces coordinated activity across a complex theater. “In the Pacific, no one operates alone,” Col. James Merenda, commander of AFOSI Region 6, said. “This exercise reinforced why Reg. 6 has to be connected early with commanders, planners and partners so we can help protect the mission as it unfolds.”

In Japan, AFOSI’s 9th Field Investigations Squadron served as a central hub, deploying 18 specialized personnel to seven key locations. The unit executed 133 defensive activities, 48 bilateral liaison meetings and 17 intelligence reports in support of joint force requirements. The event also marked AFOSI-Japan’s first opportunity to support a Fifth Air Force-led field training exercise since the numbered Air Force separated from U.S. Forces Japan in March. “Each exercise is an opportunity for AFOSI-Japan to assess its progress toward setting the theater and integrating with Japanese counterparts,” said Special Agent Kena Bostick, commander of the 9 FIS, adding that meant more than observing from the sidelines. “Our teams were integrated into planning teams, command-and-control centers and field operations, and provided support as forces moved across established and temporary operating locations,” she said.

Planning for AFOSI’s support began well before forces arrived at exercise locations. AFOSI Region 6 participated in initial, mid-planning and final planning conferences with Pacific Air Forces planners to understand where troops would operate and how AFOSI could support them. Personnel were also positioned at Osan Air Base in the Republic of Korea and in the Republic of Palau. “We understood where the Air Force layout would be for the exercise, and we essentially placed AFOSI everywhere those forces would be,” said Special Agent Catherine Kiyota, AFOSI Reg. 6 strategic planning branch chief. “That gave us the ability to quickly get information back to planners and commanders.”

The scope of the event crossed multiple unit areas of responsibility and included locations without a permanent AFOSI presence, driving additional logistics coordination, augmentee support and resourcing. “We provided strategic direction and ensured AFOSI fit into the exercise in a real-world way,” said Special Agent Rory Swafford, AFOSI Futures and Strategy division chief. “That meant helping identify priorities, understand commander interests and bring together information from the field.”

In Japan, 9 FIS translated planning into daily support by integrating augmentees with permanent-party counterintelligence special agents. In Hawaii, Kiyota worked from the main exercise control group, consolidating reports from across the region to help leaders assess concerns. “The exercise control group included representatives from each component,” Kiyota said. “Since [VS26] was led by the Pacific Fleet, I worked primarily with Navy intelligence and information operations counterparts to make sure AFOSI reporting was incorporated into the broader exercise picture.”

While the exercise tested U.S., allied and partner forces across domains—from high-end maritime operations near Guam to bilateral air operations in Japan—AFOSI’s efforts hinged on local teams. At Kadena Air Base, Japan, Special Agent Antonio Webster, AFOSI counterintelligence branch chief of Det. 624, emphasized the value of established host-nation relationships across an area of responsibility spanning Okinawa, the Sakishima Islands and the Kyushu region. “Most of the locations we supported during [VS26] were places we had been before, with host-nation partners we had already worked with,” Webster said. “Daily operations included briefings with U.S. teams before they went out, along with bilateral meetings with Japanese law enforcement and military counterparts.”

That support tied directly to bilateral air operations in Japan, including KC-46 refueling, mass casualty aeromedical evacuation and rapid airfield damage recovery training. “Our Japanese partners are becoming more settled when it comes to bilateral operations at the tactical level,” Webster said. “That made it easier to share information and respond to reporting from teams on the ground.” He added that special investigators and host-nation personnel—who work under the AFOSI umbrella—are critical to bridging language, culture and liaison networks. “Our special investigators are a linchpin for us,” Webster said. “Without them, the mission would still get done, but it would happen at a much slower rate. They bring decades of experience and relationships with local Japanese partners, and that continuity is critical.”

Beyond Japan, AFOSI personnel in Guam supported similar mission areas. While there, Special Agent Rudolph Bender, commander of AFOSI Det. 602, embedded with a joint Threat Monitoring Cell, marking the first time special agents integrated directly into that type of construct. The cell synchronized partner and joint capabilities to identify and mitigate real-world threats, giving commanders a more complete threat picture.

“AFOSI supports a lot of exercises, and we have been able to take lessons from previous events and apply them in a very tangible way here,” Swafford said. “During [VS26], I saw a clear improvement in deployment readiness, communication and integration.” In Japan, Webster said one sign of progress was watching Japanese partners take greater ownership of mission planning and threat awareness. “Our Japanese partners used the reporting we helped provide and brought it down to the tactical level for flight planning and threat awareness,” he said.

“VALIANT SHIELD 2026 showed AFOSI’s mission is not separate from operations, it is part of how the joint force shares information and builds trust with partners,” Merenda said. “In a theater as complex as the Pacific, those relationships and capabilities are essential to mission success.”